2023 Hyundai Palisade vs 2024 Land Rover Defender

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade, as Hyundai's largest SUV, had a commanding presence on the road, further enhanced by its 2023 styling update. The new front fascia, with its bold strokes and squared-off grille, framed the updated headlights, giving the SUV a stronger and more assertive look. LED accents, daytime running lights, and headlights were standard across the lineup, while LED taillights were standard on SEL and higher trims. The top Calligraphy trim was distinguished by premium rear accent lighting, body-color bumpers, a unique glossy black and chrome grille, and a wider rear spoiler. The new XRT trim featured a dark grille, roof cross rails, and black 20-inch wheels, adding to its rugged appeal.

The interior of the Calligraphy-trim Palisade was stylish and attractive, with premium Nappa leather and a dual-pane sunroof brightening the space. The horizontal quilting and dash lines were reminiscent of Mercedes-Benz, and the materials used were of high quality. The Palisade offered a range of seating configurations, with second-row captain's chairs in the top trims and a bench option for lower trims, accommodating up to eight passengers. Heated and ventilated seats were available in the first and second rows for Limited and Calligraphy models, enhancing comfort for all occupants.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender combined an old-school, boxy profile with modern features like angular headlights, connecting it visually to other Land Rover models. However, its interior was more rugged and adventure-ready, with a focus on durability. The Defender was available in three body styles: the two-door 90, the four-door 110, and the extended-wheelbase four-door 130, each offered in various trims. Our test vehicle, the Defender 110 S, featured the County visual package with white wheels and vintage graphics, adding a throwback appeal.

The Defender's interior was a blend of luxury and functionality, with soft-touch materials, grip handles, and rubberized floors. The multifunctional climate control dials required an additional button press to switch between temperature and fan speed adjustments, which was a minor drawback. Seating capacity varied depending on the configuration, with the Defender 110 offering an optional third row best suited for children. Cargo capacity also varied, with the Defender 130 providing the most space. The two-door Defender 90 offered practical and easy-to-clean cargo surfaces, making it ideal for rugged adventures.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade was powered by a single 3.8-liter V6 engine, producing 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This powertrain was competitive within its class, offering more power than the Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen Atlas, and slightly more than the Honda Pilot and Nissan Pathfinder. The Palisade's eight-speed automatic transmission could be controlled with standard paddle shifters, and power was routed to the front wheels by default, with an optional all-wheel-drive system available for an additional $1,900. The AWD system, tested on a muddy off-road course, proved capable when the vehicle began to slide. The Palisade's towing capacity was up to 5,000 pounds, with AWD models featuring a dedicated Tow Mode for optimized shifting. Fuel economy for the FWD Palisade was 19 mpg city, 27 highway, and 22 combined, while AWD models achieved 19 city, 25 highway, and 21 combined.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender offered several powertrains, starting with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the P300, producing 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Our P400 test model featured a mild-hybrid turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, delivering 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. Two supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine options, the P500 and P525, produced 493 hp and 518 hp, respectively. All engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time active four-wheel drive. The Defender's towing capacity varied, with the six-cylinder and eight-cylinder powertrains capable of towing up to 7,716 pounds, while the four-cylinder version could tow up to 5,500 pounds. The Defender's off-road capabilities were impressive, with features like adaptive air suspension, Terrain Response 2, and all-terrain progress control enhancing its performance on rugged terrain. The P400 test model provided ample power for highway driving, though there was a slight lurch when accelerating from a stop or decelerating below 15 mph.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade offered ample interior space, comfortably seating seven or eight passengers. It provided 44.1 inches of legroom in the front row, 42.4 in the second, and 31.4 in the third, surpassing the Toyota Highlander. Passenger volume measured 155.3 cubic feet, and the second-row seating easily facilitated access to the third row with a standard one-touch seat slide. Cargo space totaled 18 cubic feet with all seats in place, 45.8 behind the second row, and 86.4 with all but the front-row seats folded flat. The Palisade featured HVAC vents in all three rows and provided two cupholders per person. The center console included a phone holder and space for a bag, while physical buttons and knobs were laid out intuitively. Automatic dual-zone climate control was standard in SEL and higher trims.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender offered a blend of luxury and functionality, with soft-touch materials, grip handles, and rubberized floors. Seating capacity ranged from five to eight passengers, depending on the configuration and body style. The Defender 110 had an optional third row best suited for children, while the Defender 130 offered three seats in the third row, though space was limited. Cargo capacity varied, with the Defender 130 providing 15.3 cubic feet behind the third row, 35.8 behind the second, and 76.1 with all rear seats folded. The Defender 110 offered 34 cubic feet behind the second row and 78.8 cubic feet with the first row folded. The two-door Defender 90 provided 15.6 cubic feet of space behind the second row and up to 58.3 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade featured a 12.3-inch color touchscreen infotainment system, standard across all trims, with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation, HD Radio, SiriusXM, and Bluetooth connectivity. A premium 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system was available in SEL models and standard in Limited and Calligraphy. The Palisade offered WiFi hotspot capability, a first for Hyundai, and up to seven devices could charge using USB ports. A wireless charger was standard on all but the base trim. The Palisade also featured a 4.2-inch color driver info display or a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in higher trims. An in-car intercom and rear-seat quiet mode were available, and Hyundai's Bluelink connected vehicle system was standard, offering remote accessibility and management features. The Palisade was the first vehicle to feature Digital Key 2 Touch, compatible with Apple and Samsung devices.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender came equipped with a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument panel and an 11.4-inch touchscreen. The touchscreen, though smaller than some competitors, was simple and utilitarian, featuring navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Defender also included Bluetooth, satellite radio, HD radio, and a 10-speaker Meridian stereo system. The straightforward setup and home buttons on the touchscreen made it easy to navigate features like Apple CarPlay.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade earned a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS for the 2022 model, and the 2023 model was expected to maintain or improve upon this rating. The Palisade came with Hyundai's Smart Sense suite of safety features, including forward collision avoidance, driver attention warning, high beam assist, and lane-keeping and lane-following assist. Blind-spot collision avoidance and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance were newly standard, along with navigation-based Smart Cruise Control and intelligent speed limit assist. Highway Driving Assist I and II were available, and a full-display digital rearview mirror was an option. Safe exit warning and rear seat occupant alert were standard on most trims.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender featured an extensive list of standard driver assistance features, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Other safety tech included traffic sign recognition, automatic high beams, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a 360-degree parking camera system. The lane-departure and lane-keeping assist systems were noted to be overly sensitive, but they could be deactivated. As of this writing, the Defender had not been crash-tested by the IIHS or NHTSA.